Championship Bowling: Therm Gibson vs. Bill Lillard

Here's an installment of Championship Bowling which aired on TV in the early 1960's. This footage was shot in Coral Gables, Florida and it features two folks who are members of the United States Bowling Congress' Hall of Fame! Bill Lillard and Therm Gibson!!

[@caralyanneforeman7099]

Therman Gibson is my maternal side Grandfather. He died so young (and my Grandma, Eloise, as well), I was only a toddler when he died, so this means so much to be able to see him in this video. I also see what looks like my Grandma in the audience. Means the world to be able to see both of them. They only had two daughters (one of them my Mom, still alive and well, and the other, my Aunt, passed away, too young, too), and had five Grandchildren between them (me included), so I have shared this video with them, as well. Thank you posting this.

[@garyh8561]

I worked at the bowling alley probably in 1967-68

[@garyh8561]

As a 16 yr old I worked at a bowling alley Mrs. Gibson managed , with Mr. Gibson coming in to give lessons at times , both great people . She gave me a few " breaks" after doing somethings I shouldn't have . He let me use his bowling ball and shoes , also a matador outfit for a Halloween party...I watched him throw 24 in a row practicing , Mrs.Gibson said he was a better golfer than bowler. Fun to watch ! Thanks for posting

[@user-wb8ih3lz5s]

Therman Gibson was my uncle Eloise was my Aunt, my Mom's sister. Never saw him bowl so nice to be able to see him . Spent alot of time with my Aunt and Uncle at their cottage at Torch Lake in Mi. Many fond memories.

[@ronniecamp7808]

Gentleman Bill was such a nice person and great athlete. He was the ultimate power player rolling a 3/4 while virtually all other bowlers used full rollers, and he did it with a conventional grip (no fingertip). With his high leg kick at delivery he achieved maximum cranking power which to this date has not been achieved by any other pro bowler. And his awesome fundamentals kept him in perfect balance during his full approach - what an athletic performance.
It was always a pleasure to watch him bowl and it was always a pleasure to hear him talk. He and his very close friend Dick Weber were the ultimate professionals. Shalom.

[@irishpogi]

I met Bill during my first trip to Reno, Nevada back in March 2010. He was a really nice man. RIP.

[@ronniecamp7808]

FYI, He was a bowling proprietor in Houston for some 6 decades and was a part owner in half a dozen centers. Best proprietor I ever knew along with his partners Pete Treybig and Don Ellis. Don won the Peterson one time, and competed on Jackpot Bowling (a number of times) where he lost to Therm Gibson who won $75,000 in that match (the most that had ever been won). Don Ellis is also shown on youtube -- fun to watch.@@irishpogi

[@Starcastle2009]

Gibson held a record that stood for decades, winning $65,000 on Jackpot Bowling. That's about $400,000 in current money. Modern bowlers don't appreciate how tough it was to score back then, with a hard rubber bowl. It didn't help you the way contemporary equipment does. The shots were pretty straight and accuracy (and consistency) made the difference between winning or losing. When this show was made perhaps 10 or 15 bowlers really made a living aside from action bowling.

[@charlesmeadows6285]

Something Milton Berle hosted.

[@michaelschweizer4772]

William Lillard puts a tremendous amount of roll on the ball.

[@Kedziekid]

During the "king of the hill" days on this show, I think Gibson had the longest run.

[@steve52760]

Great Line.

[@Kedziekid]

I stand corrected....

[@Starcastle2009]

Actually Lillard holds the record at 10 consecutive matches.

[@billp4]

$75 was serious coin back then. Bowling hall of fame 😂🤣

[@Mike-xe1pn]

Detroit is still the bowling capitol of the world. The best competition every night